In life, we often see pivotal moments as Life Changing, moments we acknowledge where life has either fundamentally shifted or sent us in a direction unthought of previously but nonetheless transformative. The culmination of these moments can become milestones. Not always, of course. An example of that would be my first physical. Transformative, yes. Life changing? Possibly….I was 16, and was pretty embarrassed when I put my feet up in the stirrups much to my doctor’s delight, and my chagrin. But not a Milestone.
An online dictionary says “A milestone is a significant event in your life. Often a milestone marks the start of a new chapter. For example, the day you graduated from high school was a milestone in your life. Milestone literally refers to a roadside marker that lists the distance to a particular location.” So although the physical was my first one, it didn’t really fundamentally change me.
This year, 2020, has been one for the books. I highly doubt this year will be forgotten soon. Most people can recite the years of World War 1 &2 (1914-1918 and 1939-1945 respectively), can remember 9/11 and what they were doing when the planes hit the Twin Towers and changed our society for the foreseeable future. 2016 will arguably go down as the year the worst President in America’s history was elected (I believe that time will show this as the bare truth) and so many other years where we were all affected by certain events. Earthquakes. Tsunamis. Baby Shark. The Moon Walk. The actual First Man on the Moon. But 202 has been what they call a ‘corker’. ‘Covie, Covid, Covid!’ as that plump, pompous, baby-like person occupying the White House (and seemingly unable to fathom his election loss and subsequent rejection). Covid-19, or Coronavirus, has surely been an event that will shape our future for many years to come,. I could list a plethora of things here that have changed, fundamentally…..but by now, if you don’t know these things, then where the fuck have you been?
But during this time of Pandemic, personal Milestones have been reached for so many. The Pandemic was the headline, for sure, but there are so many other stories which prove that life does still go on, that other things happen. My good friend Terry hit a Milestone this year, completing his 100th marathon, an impressive feat in my opinion. My son Marc-Andre began his computer program at College, finally settled in to where he is meant to be, while my other son Alex has begun his journey in Literature, owning his orientation, and claiming his living space, all while coping with a society still not fully accommodating Autism. My wife Anne has completed her third book, a uniquely written auto-fiction called Passages, written both in English and French, with an accompanying original soundtrack, something to this date not done before, has completed several other epic accomplishments, not the least was to keep our family together an strong while I went through my own Milestones, which I will discuss soon.
Coronavirus does not have to dominate our development, even though it has surely shifted how we get things done. For certain, those directly effected by its scourge can argue this point, and rightly so. But we need to focus on the positive sometimes, else we will fail to consider all that is right in our lives. I wish, as we all do, that we could put an end to the suffering caused by it. But we will have to settle for accentuating the positive, and my father used to say.
My own Milestones in 2020 have bee interesting, Many know about my bout with Colon cancer, and the subsequent 8 weeks in hospital battling complications from a popped staple and Sepsis. It killed me. Twice. Yet here we are. I am still not sure if I actually survived or am in an alternate time-line where I have the chance to try again, much like an extra life in Pacman. I hope this is reality. If it isn’t, well, it sure seems real. I have attained other Milestones during this time, though. I closed our family business with the help of some pretty special people, after having run successfully for 34 years. It wasn’t my intent to do so, but the whole cancer thing changed that. I am thankful that we were able to get this done and transition properly so that I could retire and heal Like a Phoenix, I will rise again….WATCH ME. I also managed to stop drinking Diet Coke for the last 5 months. I am pretty proud of that. Those who know me are aware that I practically bathed in the stuff. I literally dank nothing else.. It is a hell of an addiction to kick. But I have my 5-month chip now and will take that. I have managed to get all the laundry done. ALL OF IT. With this kind of time on my hands, I had to do something. I haven’t driven in a year now. I lost my license a year ago because of bleeding in my eyes. This has since subsided but \I had to suspend treatment while dealing with the Big C. That Milestone will change when I actually do drive again….stay tuned.
So as Christmas approaches, leading inevitably to New Year’s and a barrage of promises of change and hopeful wishes of a rosier future and an end to Covid (and let me throw in an end to the Trump presidency and hopefully a return to decency), let us all be cognoscente that we still have a duty to ourselves to attain Milestones and mark our journey on this Highway of Life, and to not let the world dictate to us and steal our sunshine.
Bill's Musings 